A refit for Loon

[Crazer]

Thought I'd share the progress of my Pearson Wanderer's ongoing refit. I consider it an active project, even though she's in the water and sailing right now I still haven't finished this year's projects and I'm already looking ahead to next year.

To give a brief rundown of the scope of the project:
This season:
Rebed stanchions, pad eyes and cleats with butyl tape
Replace standing rigging
Install Spin halyard and topping lift
Replace rudder, repair cockpit deck and install tiller
Install solar panels of pushpit
Replace mast lights
Next season:
Rebed pulpit and pushpit and remaining cleats and stanchions
Replace chainplates and remaining turnbuckles
Chase down remaining leaks
Install spinnaker hardware on deck, blocks etc.

The rudder and cockpit were the biggest part of this year's project. The boat had a wheel when I bought her, which I despised. Totally inappropriate for the size of the boat and badly installed. There was a cutout in the cockpit deck where they had dropped the quadrant on that had only been set in place and clumsily sealed with silicone. The project involved removing and replacing the rudder shoe, stuffing box, rudder head bushing and glassing in the cutout around the rudder shaft. It started in March and was finished at the beginning of June. I also built new standing rigging using Sta-Lok terminals, which are a delight to work with. Customer service was right there to help when I got stuck. The rudder project was fairly simple, it took me a quick days work to drop the rudder and another to wrestle the new one on, with a couple of days of epoxying in between to seal of the old fastener holes (of course the old and new shoes had different fastener layouts.) I'll try and post photos but the outdated forum software won't let me at the moment, have to resize them first. More to follow.

[tedfaber]

I have a 1966 Wanderer hull number 16. My boat also has a wheel. The wheel may been original. The pedestal base is corroded as are the bolts holding in place. I plan on removing the rudder and shaft. So that I can cut a key way, and install a bushing and a section of shaft. Then I can attach the tiller head. What do you think.

Thanks
Ted

[CharlieJ]

works for me. I do not like wheels on smaller boats- take up way too much room, and a tiller is easier to hook a pilot onto. Plus gives better feel. Just be sure shafting is adequate size